Tabassian LJ, Nagasawa M, Ba AK, Akiba N, Akiba Y, Uoshima K, Ohyama H. Comparing dental student preclinical self-assessment in the United States and Japan.
J Dent Educ 2021;
86:21-28. [PMID:
34437721 DOI:
10.1002/jdd.12779]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 08/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES
Self-assessment is an essential skill for dental professionals. Understanding global trends in self-assessment can highlight the learning needs of students across a diversity of cultural backgrounds. The aim of this study is to compare the self-assessment ability of dental students in the United States and Japan, where cultural backgrounds may differ.
METHODS
Students in the United States (n = 176) completed a typodont premolar and anterior Class II and Class III preparation and restoration. Students in Japan (n = 175) completed a typodont premolar crown preparation. Students and faculty then evaluated the student performance using rubrics for each respective procedure. The difference between the student's self-assessment score and the average faculty score (S-F gap) was calculated and the data were analyzed.
RESULTS
The mean S-F gap was 2.8% in Japan and 7.6% in the United States. This indicates that Japanese students tended to assess themselves closer to their faculty graders than students in the United States. On average, students in both countries scored themselves higher than their faculty graders. Students in the United States more frequently overestimated their performance and students in Japan more frequently underestimated their performance. For students in the lower quartile, the mean S-F gap was 5.1% in Japan and 14.6% in the United States, indicating a large cultural discrepancy in the lower quartile groups.
CONCLUSIONS
Although different preclinical procedures were compared, our findings demonstrated that Japanese students may score themselves more closely to their faculty assessors than students in the United States. Further investigation with more students completing the same preclinical activity will be needed.
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